


The cure

by Kiryhara



Category: Gintama
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-14 06:37:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14764499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiryhara/pseuds/Kiryhara
Summary: Everyone looks for personal reasons. Destroy it, take it, give it, replicate it. The knowledge of the existence of the cure converts the supernatural world into chaos. Vampires, wolves, witches, hunters, will do everything possible to find it and fulfill their own purposes. Finding the grave of the sorcerer who has it is everyone's goal, but only the achievement of one.





	1. the Heritage

**Author's Note:**

> ¡Hello!  
> English is not my first language, so I'm sorry for some kind of mistake.
> 
> In this fanfic there is no fixed protagonist. All sides will be equally important for the development of the plot. Romance ... there will be (romance attracts the masses), but it is not the main thing.  
> This arose from a real story of my authorship with which I won a contest, so I wanted to make an adaptation and, to fit well, some changes, but the essence and the plot remain the same. My knowledge of the supernatural is based on all the books I've read, and a little of the series I've seen (which somehow relate to what is "supposedly" less fictional).
> 
> Warning: the characters can remain OOC: v if at some point I have to make some kind of warning for the content, I will do it in your chapter
> 
> Disclaimer: The characters I use in this story are not my property because it is obvious that I am not swimming in money to have created them.

He did not regret much. He knew that dying could be hard and that he left his elder sister alone in the world, but he was not afraid to leave. At 21 years old, Shinpachi Shimura was breathing out his last breath of life, losing himself little by little in the darkness that threatened to devour him completely. I could hear sirens-perhaps belonging to the ambulance-in the distance and the cries of people asking for help, because they still had faith to be saved; They still clung to life. His body ached like hell. He knew for sure that both legs were broken by the car that had crushed him in the accident and that because of the massive hemorrhage he would lose knowledge sooner rather than later.

  
To die feeling that agony was not especially the idea he had had when he had to leave the world, but apparently he was not given to choose people as they wanted to pass away.  
As far as I knew, I had not been a bad person with anyone before. He always tried to help others as much as he could, so if there was some kind of judgment after passing the threshold between life and death, he thought he deserved to go up and not down.

  
He began to breathe with difficulty ... how long would it take? the waiting became eternal and agonizing.

  
To his ears, which could still be used for listening, came the sound of a pair of boots crashing into the pavement, getting closer and closer to him. Was it that the emergency unit had finally arrived and he would be saved from his fate? The branches of the tree that lay a few inches from his badly wounded body creaked, suggesting that someone had reclined on the trunk.

  
"Friend, you look terrible" a voice came then. He was thick, so he concluded that he was a man. It also denoted nuances of laziness in his tone.

  
What was a guy doing walking around in such an accident?

  
Even if I wanted to ask him, he could not speak given the effort he was making to continue breathing-had he not resigned himself to dying? - so he just stayed there, allowing himself to travel in his memories of the latest events in his life, when suddenly a fleeting memory invaded him. That voice had already heard her.

  
_A few hours before_.

  
"How do we have an inheritance?" Shinpachi asked his sister, who ate her lunch meals.

  
Both used to lunch together in the break they were given for half a day in their respective jobs. Their small family consisted of only the two of them, so the pair of brothers were very close. The eldest, Otae, worked in a restaurant as a waitress who worked at bar nights, while the youngest earned her salary as a cashier in a supermarket. Life was not especially pink, because it is not as if they were paid too much, but it was enough for them: food and rent for their apartment.

  
For that reason, the news that Otae had just told him had surprised him. He did not remember having a relative who in his will had said he was going to leave something, and he was really curious to know what it was.

  
"Yes" Otae answered and proceeded to explain what Kyuubei had told him. "Apparently, we had a very, very distant aunt of whom we had no knowledge. She died recently and since she never married and had no children either, her belongings became ours despite being distant relatives".

And to think that Shinpachi believed that there was not even a trace left of his family. Aunt far away? How is it that they never knew of its existence until now?

"And what things has this aunt of ours left us?"

  
"A house" she said. "And a very big one I think, because until recently it worked as a guest house"

  
The one with the glasses could not believe it. That morning he had risen like poor Shinpachi Shimura, who had nothing, and from one moment to the next he became the owner of a house that most likely produced quantities of bills a month. He felt a little cruel to thank that his distant relative had died, but it passed when he thought that if they managed to sell that house, with the money earned they could finally remodel and reopen the school of which his father was a founder and now I was discharged.

  
"And this house, where is it located?" He asked after drinking his juice.

  
"Close to the mountains. Kyu-chan went to see her and said he seemed to be nice" after looking at the clock to confirm the time, Otae continued. "The first thing I thought was that we could sell it, but in the will the aunt asks that please do not get rid of the house. It has been a family heritage for more than ten generations".

  
"Ten generations ?!" The other people in the restaurant looked at the raven, who excused himself for interrupting his peaceful lunches. "How long was it built?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It is not known with exactitude, but they say that it has been there for quite some time" The family patrimony was that old? "In any case, we have to go see her, Shin-chan. Do you have anything else to do at work this afternoon? "

"No, but actually I ... "

"Hello, Shinpachi-kun, Otae-san" the female voice called. Both mentioned smiled at the new arrival.

"Soyo-chan, how have you been?" The eldest of the Shimura asked.

"Well, thanks for asking," She replied, returning the smile. "I apologize if I interrupted something."

"Sister, it was that she had been with Soyo to help her to fix some things of his house".

Both had known each other from the school and in addition there was a time in which the raven was neighbor of the pair of brothers, by what were always good friends and were in contact. After graduation they met at the university, although studying different careers. She had just started medicine and he was studying law, but due to the economic downturn suffered by Shinpachi's family, he had to abandon it and dedicate himself fully to work, while Soyo continued with his career, as she enjoyed a good economic position.

"If you're busy, it does not have to be now" the brunette said. "I can ask Okita-san for the favor.

"I'm your bodyguard, not the errand boy" The man's voice surprised Soyo.

"Ah, Okita-san, it's nice to see you" Otae said with a smile on his face. "You will not have come with your boss, right?

"Kondo-san is busy with other things at the moment" replied the brunette.

The woman seemed happy for the answer. Then he looked at the three people and an idea occurred to him. "Shin-chan, what do you think if we go to that house now? Soyo-chan would be very kind to take us and in case you doubt them, Okita-san has a weapon"

There was not much to argue to that woman. Sometimes she was afraid, so neither Shinpachi nor Soyo were against the idea. And if the youngest of the Tokugawa was going, Sougo had to go. On the way, the one in glasses told everything to the jet. She congratulated them on their new property and asked if they had plans to move there. Otae told him that he was thinking about it, since it would be a significant economic saving if they stopped paying rent.

"But you should be careful" said Soyo. "There are wild animals in recent days hanging around Edo who have brutally killed people, and the mountains are not exactly safe.

Okita looked at her in the rear-view mirror with an apparent sign of reproach. "And how did you realize that? It's supposed to be only for us, the cops".

"You're not particularly good at keeping confidential information."

Before the chestnut replied and scolded her for getting into her things, Otae intervened. "It is strange that they have this type of murders".

"They are only animals and the police already have it covered" said Sougo, almost automatically. More about that conversation nothing was said.

It took about twenty minutes before they got to the right path that would take them to that house. The mountain path was irregular and unpaved. If you were not careful with speed, people would very likely lose their lives there. About fifteen minutes later the four of them were getting out of the car, looking at the house in front of them. As Kyuubei had indicated, the house, at first glance, looked pretty pretty. It was very large and from the outside you could see the extensive terrain that now belonged to the Shimura. The design of it was somewhat conservative, even by itself it implied that it was a house that already had time residing in that place. But despite its somewhat old-fashioned appearance, all the structures that could be seen on the outside-like the balcony, the walls and the main door-were seen as integral. And the painting-white with black-had no miserable stain.

Inside it was not a different story. Everything seemed to be in perfect condition, and even the atmosphere was cozy, almost familiar. The house consisted of three floors and a basement. Each floor had five rooms all furnished, and that was quite logical, since that place had always functioned as a kind of hotel. Shinpachi was stunned, because he still did not believe the fact that such property now belonged to him and his sister.

"It's pretty nice and nice" said Soyo once he returned from looking at the third floor.

"Yes, It was a great stroke of luck that they gave it to us" Shinpachi said. "Where is Okita-san?"

The girl pointed to the small cabin that was visible from the window. "It is in these lands, so I imagine that it will be part of the inheritance. Are we going to see?"

The one in glasses nodded, going out the door that had the kitchen. Once they arrived with the chestnut tree, Shinpachi started to look at the small building. While the house seemed to be in top condition, the cabin told a totally different story. It seemed to fall off little by little because of the years when it was probably unused.

"Do not open" communicated sougo, holding in his hands the padlock that had the door. "It's like in a horror movie. Surely the ghost hides here".

A fairly acceptable analogy if the case was considered.

"Don't say those things, Okita-san!". Both said in unison, causing the laughter of the police officer, who began to move away from that cabin. They followed him as soon as they saw him without intentions to return.

Shinpachi took one last look at the curious cabin and prepared to continue behind Soyo and Sougo. Later, Kyuubei arrived and then the time from there passed relatively quickly. So much so that even Soyo and Okita had to leave them later because the first one had to study for the class they would have the next day and the second only said that he had issues to solve at the police station. The remaining three stayed in the house longer, checking every corner of it and marveling at how big it was.

"Well, I do not see why we could not move here" Otae said, drawing the attention of her younger brother and best friend.

"Certainly that would help with the expenses you have" Kyuubei commented. "It's not a bad idea, Tae-chan".

Shinpachi did not have much to say. He was fine with whatever decision his older sister took.

"Well, it's time to go back to our apartment".

"Yes, sister".

Once the three were back in the center of the city, Otae talked with the owner of the building and explained her new situation. She had told them that they could leave when they wanted, as long as they paid her the last month's rent. It seemed unfair and even a robbery that they had to pay for a month in which they would not live there-they were barely in the first week of April-but it was what they were.

"Shin-chan, burgers for dinner?" The mayor proposed as soon as he entered the apartment. He nodded and then they ordered the food.

Half an hour later, Otae was preparing to go to his night shift. And suddenly, as he watched as the woman said goodbye to him and headed for the door, Shinpachi had remembered what Soyo had mentioned about the murderous wild animals. Frankly he did not believe that an animal could attack a person in the center of Edo, but he did not want to leave Otae alone that night.

"Sister!" He called before she closed the door. "I accompany you today".

As always, the bar was bursting with customers. Shinpachi simply sat at one of the tables without consuming any type of alcoholic beverage. Then, near where he was, he could hear the voice of someone asking for his sister.

"Otae Shimura, do you know where he is?" he did not recognize her at all. He had never heard that lazy tone before.

He wanted to turn to see the man but that was when Oryou, a companion of Otae, approached him.

"Shinpachi-kun" He looked at her. "There is a guy who is asking about your sister".

"Who?" He cocked his head, surprised.

"The one with the curls that is there." The girl pointed to the right, but Shinpachi could not see anyone. "He went to the bathroom".

"Shin-chan." The man turned around to see the woman with whom he had blood ties. "Since you are here, you can help us. You take out the trash, please?" he was not going to say no to his sister, obviously.

Resigned, he prepared to go through the stinky bags and take them out of the place, straight to the containers, but as soon as he was willing to enter again, a strange sound alerted him. It was something like an animal eating its dinner. He swallowed, because he had involuntarily remembered Soyo's words. What if it was true and he would be the unfortunate victim on that occasion? He turned his head slowly in the direction of the sound: the dark alley. And when his eyes adjusted to the gloomy place, he opened them wide, feeling panicky and disgusted at the same time.

He was a human, not an animal, obviously. A girl, to be exact. And that was not what had stirred his intestines. What made him want to vomit was to see that the girl ate what appeared to be a rat. He backed away but to his bad luck, hit the metal container causing a thunderous noise that made the girl aware of his presence and looked at him with those reddish eyes, which gradually were acquiring a blue color like sapphire. She let go of the lifeless animal body and wiped the blood that dripped from her mouth to her chin with the back of her hand. He saw her take a step forward and Shinpachi did not need any more danger warning to run away from there.

He did not even think about what he was doing. He just ran to everything that his legs gave him and, unfortunately, he passed the road really traveled by cars without having the previous precaution. Everything happened pretty fast after that. A car hit him, a truck had turned around due to the braking he had to do and a bus had been talked with said truck, being turned pieces.

In a matter of seconds everything had been chaotic, and because of him. He did not even know how he was still alive despite being crushed under a car.

_Present_.

He was. The man who was looking for his sister.

What the hell was he doing in the middle of such a tragic accident?

And, even wanting to turn his head to see it, he could not because he had no control over his body anymore. Everything went black little by little, the sounds around him diminished in intensity and his breathing became slower, almost imperceptible.

"I do not like to do these things because of the risks involved, but I do not have any other" He heard the voice again, but it was much more distorted, probably due to the partial loss of his hearing.

"Now, Gin-chan" The female voice had not expected it. What kind of crazy were those? How to cure it? Did not they see that I was more dead than alive? Shinpachi opened his eyes-he no longer knew where he was getting strength-and the last thing he saw before closing them again was a silver glint above him, in addition to the metallic taste that flooded his taste buds.

And then everything was darkness.


	2. and they...what are they?

His eyes were appreciating a miracle at that moment, because it was already too much to say that he was there, as if nothing really happened. Shinpachi sat on the bed-how did he get there in the first place? -and he looked around his room as he recalled in his memory the latest events he witnessed. He had had to die in that accident and yet, there he was in the apartment where he lived with his sister. I could not believe what was happening.

He looked at his hands, examined his arms and discovered the blanket to observe his legs, since in that accident they had been destroyed. He moved them and found that he had perfect mobility and reflexes. There was no trace of any kind of wound on his body either. It seemed as if the night before he had gone home to sleep as if nothing had happened.

I did not understand. As much as he meditated the situation and tried to give a logical sense; a reasonable explanation, he could not understand it.

Why was he still alive?

The vague memories of his supposed last minutes in the world were present and with that, he panicked. Those two people, the girl and the man who had gone to see him while he was dying, would they have to do with his miraculous healing? Certainly, the female had told the so-called "Gin-chan" to heal him. Could that be the explanation?

No, it did not make sense for a human to heal another without needing anything other than ... and how was it healed to begin with?

Shinpachi stood up from the bed and indeed, he was in full condition. He then went to the door to get out of there and go in search of Otae. He found it in the kitchen, giving life to a new being that was not known while singing the catchy song they were tuning into the radio program.

"Sister".  
   
The woman turned to look at him, giving him a smile. "Shin-chan, until you finally wake up. I never thought that a few drinks could cause those reactions in you. Although, seeing it well, you're not one of those who takes a lot so it's a normal thing, I suppose".

Drinks? Reactions? What the hell was the biggest one talking about?

"Ehhh, I'm not sure I know what you mean, he said honestly. But I want to know how it was that I ended up here in the house".

Otae took out his new creation from the oven - it did not look good at all and Shinpachi was already crying internally for having to eat that - and once he put it on the counter, he replied, without turning to look at his brother and putting the finishing touches on food.

"You disappeared last night after I asked you to please take out the garbage," she began. He did not disappear. He was only scared as a small child when he saw a girl eat a rat and ran out to safeguard his life. "I worried after half an hour of not seeing you, but then a friend of yours came with me and told me that the girl who had accompanied you had brought you home because you fainted after drinking a couple of drops of alcohol."

"Friend?" He did not really have many friends. Takachin and Soyo were the closest thing I had to that, since I knew them for years. From then on, nobody. So I did not really know who the hell that "friend" of hers was.

"Yes," Otae spoke again. "Although the truth, he seems to be much older than you".

He did not like that at all. The woman took the tray after saying those words and went to the room of the apartment, being followed by Shinpachi, and then the terror invaded him again and the scene of the alley returned to his mind as soon as he saw the female figure sitting on the sofa. Those blue eyes would not forget them so easily. The girl, with long vermilion hair, looked at him without really feeling self-conscious about the fact that he knew that she ate rats.

"Shinpachi, good thing you're awake!" The man turned his head to finally look at the man who belonged to the voice he had heard before losing consciousness in the accident.

He did not seem really that old, but he was older than everyone who was present in that place. He did not seem to be a bad guy either, he almost believed the words of relief that he dedicated seconds before. With his reddish eyes he seemed to want to tell him to follow the game or there would be consequences, or maybe it was only his psyche that was damaged and being paranoid was something natural in those cases.

"Ehhh, thank you." He tried not to sound forced not to alert Otae, for he seemed cheerful serving dark matter to the pair of guests.

"Kagura-chan and Gin-san wanted to stay for breakfast, I hope you do not mind, Shin-chan, after all, they're your friends" Otae told him, to which he only made a grimace that pretended to be smirking. 

Once everyone had a plate in hand, they set out to eat the food. The situation was by far the strangest that Shinpachi could have lived in his life. With that pair of reddish and blue eyes looking at him he could not seem and act normal. It was as if both shouted: " _A false move, and you're dead._ " What if they were professional killers? although that did not explain the reason for the peculiar taste of the named Kagura for consuming animals that usually caused disgust to the community. The silence was suddenly broken by Otae, who began asking questions to the pair of strangers. The one who answered the most was the man, so Shinpachi could see that he had a Magister in the lie.

The questions were of the harmless kind. How they knew Shinpachi, where they came from, why he had never mentioned them; things for that style that the girl and the man knew how to cope with, while the one with glasses was silent all the time.

When the breakfast was over, the entrance door to the apartment rang and the older Shimura prepared to go and open it, revealing Kyuubei, who politely greeted the guests-and asked Otae covertly where the fuck they had come from. two-and then Shinpachi.

When he saw Otae's intentions to leave the house, the eyeglass interrupted.

"Where are you going?" They were brother, were not they? She had to suspect that something was wrong.

"Kyu-chan and I will go through the property papers of the house for you and I to sign," she answered, a smile on her face. "See your friends, see you later, Shin-chan," and she closed the door.

Oh, no.

Shinpachi looked at them and they were already looking at him.

"Well ..." he said and started running with the intention of reaching the door and getting out of there as soon as possible, but the handle was taken by the hand of the vermilion that was planted in front before he did any other thing.

How had he managed to get there faster than him?

"Gin-chan, this one's going to pee on his pants if we do not explain anything to him" Kagura told the man who had lain on the couch. "Gin-chan!"

"Yeah, well" the man sat back with little reluctance. "sit down, Shinpachi, we will not hurt you".

How was it that they knew his name? How was it that they were there in the first place?

The black haired man obeyed and sat down again in the chair facing the sofa. Something told him that this guy did not lie to him about not hurting him. Kagura simply leaned against the door, arms crossed.

"First, I want to clarify that I hate eating rats," the girl said. "But I have no other options and I was very hungry yesterday."

"I ... Do you want to explain to me what the hell is going on ?!" he shouted, desperate, no longer wanting to remain ignorant.

"Come on, do not get upset," the older one said after a yawn. "We'll tell you everything from the beginning."

_Gintoki Sakata, the great, handsome and unmatched had finally come down from the vehicle that had brought him and his employee, Kagura, to Edo._

"Hey, you're not great and not unique and for me to be your employee you have to pay me first." Kagura interrupted the story. "It was like that."

_Kagura, the exotic beauty had finally set foot on earth after a grueling journey along with her stinking and loathsome slave, Gintoki. Everyone seemed to admire her as she walked the busy streets of Edo, and did not blame them because, apart from modesty, she was beautiful._

"Yes, the beautiful girl who eats rats" a fork embedded in Gintoki's cheek. "Hey!"

Shinpachi opened his eyes disproportionately at the action of the vermilion, but what seemed the strangest-and even chilling-was the carefree way in which the peliplata was removed in front of the face, little or no import the fact that He was bleeding, and he did not seem to complain of pain either.

"I already said that I do not like that menu!"

"Well then learn to-!"

"Are you okay?" Shinpachi interrupted the children's fight, more because he was uneasy about seeing the older man bleed.

Gintoki moved his right hand, dismissing it. "Do not worry, it's nothing." Shinpachi nodded, trying to believe it. "Then, yesterday we arrived in Edo after having been absent for a long time."

...

_"Gin-chan, why did we come here?" Kagura asked curiously._

_They walked really without a fixed direction, because as far as I understood, Gintoki had nowhere to go there in Edo and she less._

_"The old woman of the house finally died, and if we want to enter there again we must find the new owners."_

_Kagura did not understand very well, but nevertheless nodded. "That happens to you to get involved with two sisters at the same time."_

_"I did not know they were sisters! Besides, how could I know that they would sell the house out of revenge so I could not go back in?" The man grimaced, remembering bad experiences. "I tried to establish a kind of relationship at that time with the new owner but he never wanted to invite me to come in, and I was banished from my own home."_

_The vermillion shook his head. "And then what is the plan?"_

_"Meet the new owners, make friends and let me in. That's the plan."_

_"What's so important there that can not wait?"_

_"You'll see when the time is right" he answered, not satisfying the girl's curiosity. "For now, we're going to talk to the Witches' coven."_

_Both entered a bar, dodging the old man who had been thrown in the direction of the entrance to be removed from resiento. Apparently, he had gotten very drunk and was making a fuss. The cat woman came and kicked him harder, finally getting him out._

_"And if he's not going to pay, then do not come back here!" and then he turned to see the newcomers. "And another guy who does not pay sticks his nose in. What brings you here, Sakata-san?"_   
  
_"Thieving cat, where is the old woman?"_

_"Ex-thief" she corrected, annoyed. "Otose-san is not here and he did not tell me when he would return."_

_The peliplata sighed tiredly. "When you see her then tell her I came, and I'll be back."_

_"Are you going to pay him finally?"_

_"Something much better."_

_Then they left the place, then sat on the bench of a nearby park. It had been a long time since Kagura had visited Edo. He felt somewhat nostalgic and knew that Gintoki, although he did not show it, felt it too. But everything had a reason, even the reason for them having returned. Finding whatever was in that house was the first step. Then, with some luck, they would find what they were looking for and what they had come together. Although Kagura did not know why it was that Gintoki was looking for her, but as long as she fulfilled her goal of saving her Clan, she did not care much about the reasons for the movie._

_"Gin-san!" The two turned to see the man who had greeted the other with encouragement._

_"Is Madao still alive?" Kagura asked, surprised to see Hasegawa Taizo in front of them._

_"And you expected him to be dead ?!" said the altered, "I'm not like you, the years for me if they happen."_

_And then Gintoki had an idea. Maybe that guy could save you a lot of search work. "Madao, just the man I needed."_

_"Really?" The man scratched his head. "What for?"_

_"Location spell, you know how to do it, right?"_

_"Gin-san, I do not like to practice-"_

_"Do you remember the cabaret girls? It would be a shame if they found out where you live." Gintoki grinned mischievously. "And you're still alive."_

_Blackmailing was wrong, as was manipulation, but fuck, he was very good at it. And if he had to use it to achieve his purpose, then he did. A good being in every sense of the word was not. It was rotten to the core._

_"Men are disgusting" Kagura said to herself._

_"Do you have any belonging to the person you want to find her?" Hasegawa asked, and it did not suit him if those women came to him in revenge against him._

_"No," the permanent man touched his chin with his index finger, making a thoughtful gesture. "I have the last name, is it useful?"_

_"Do you know how many people have the same last name here?" Kuraura asked, looking at him like the idiot he was._

_He shrugged. "It's that or nothing."_

_"What is the last name?"_

_"Shimura."_

_For their lot, there were not many results of people with the surname Shimura in all Edo. Five names were written in Kagura's hand, and thanks to the magic of the man in sunglasses, they knew the place where they lived and worked. It was just a matter of arriving and asking for them. In the execution of that task they left all afternoon, and none of the people they had visited were the lucky heirs to the house. They already felt exhausted and to top it all, hungry for when the evening fell._

_"We only have two left." The vermillion's stomach interrupted the Major's speech. "We're going to the bar where this woman works and if it's not, we'll go eat something then."_   
  
_"More than hungry, I'm thirsty." Keeping Kagura thirsty was not good and advisable._

_"Yes, same as me, but we are already close to the place."_

_Indeed, it was not long before they arrived in the colorful area of Edo and meet the happy bar. Gintoki took Kagura's hand-the one with the names written on it-and read the next one, which was not crossed out with a line along the name._

_Otae Shimura_

_"I'm thirsty," Kagura repeated in frustration._

_Gintoki took her away from the crowd before she jumped to devour a person-which was not convenient at all-and took her out of the establishment._

_"In the alley," the lugubrious place showed him. "Kill an animal and drink from it, I'll go ask for the Shimura girl." Kaura nodded and they parted._

_The place was bursting. So much so that it was a bit difficult to walk around freely. Once he was near the bar, he located a waitress and intercepted her in order to ask about the woman._

_The short haired brunette raised her head to look at him. "Can I help you with something?"_

_"Otae Shimura, do you know where it is?"_

_"Not right now," she answered. "But I can ask your brother who's sitting there."_

_Gintoki turned his head to see the boy with black hair and glasses who was sitting alone at one of the tables._

_"Yes, thank you" and then, turning his body to approach the bar again, because a drink or two were not too much, he hit a guy of his own height. "Oh, my fault, I'm sorry," he said._

_"Nothing happens," replied the black haired man who, by raising his right hand, managed to freeze Gintoki instead. More he did not notice the fact and went on his way. "Where the hell did our boss get, this is amazing, to come here for a woman." It was the last thing he heard._

_The man swallowed. That stigma on the back of his hand would distinguish him miles away._

_Hunters._

_"Shit," he muttered "Kagura."_

_The man ran to the exit and went to the alley, but when he was about to turn to the corner, he saw the boy from a while ago-that if he remembered correctly was the brother of Otae Shimura-he ran away terrified, as if he had seen a ghost. So scared was he that he did not even see it._

_"Gin-chan, catch him!" ah, the ghost was Kagura. What did not that brat know about discretion? "He saw me!"_  

_He sighed and started to run, being followed by the vermilion._

  
...

  
"And the rest is history" he finished.

 

Shinpachi stared at him. His face did not show any kind of expression. Did they really expect him to eat that whole story? Although I should give them credit. It was an entertaining story.

"If they've already finished teasing me, do they want to explain to me why they were in that accident? How is it that I'm fine now?"

"It's not a lie," Kagura said. "Supernatural things exist, and you're fine thanks to that."

"H-how?"

 

"I gave you a drink of my blood and that cured you, we took you out of there as soon as we saw that you breathed more or less normal, and in order not to raise suspicions with your sister, we told him about the fainting with alcohol."

If Shinpachi opened his mind, everything Gintoki told him fit perfectly with everything. Each piece was made for the puzzle. The metallic taste he had felt before losing consciousness then was his blood and not his own? If he believed in that story, then everything would make sense, despite challenging logic itself. Besides, there was also the fact that the supposed wound that Gintoki must have had on his cheek because of the fork that Kagura had thrown at him was missing. The black haired man had witnessed the blood that sprang up, but now there was no sign of anything.

 

That was certainly enough reason for him to believe what he had told him. He had heard in the story about the sorcerer who helped them find his sister and him. Also about a hunter-of what? he did not know-but at no time did he hear what the hell they were; it was more than clear that simple humans like him, no.

But, he had his suspicion. Totally crazy, but at that point and nothing sounded incredible and weird.

"What ... what are you?" He finally asked.

Kagura looked at Gintoki and he nodded. "Vampires." she answered.


	3. The night of the hunter

One, two, three shots and none hit the target. He took air to its maximum capacity, retained it and then exhaled slowly through the mouth, trying to calm down. He had been doing that kind of training for a while now; He had passed all kinds of tests but to give the shot on target was simply impossible. Well, not impossible, but difficult. After three more attempts that resulted in total failure, he released the weapon in his hand and then took the stake. Although with that object the goal was the same, to give in white, it was much easier to do it with the stake than with the weapon. One minute of total concentration and threw the object, which was embedded cleanly in the figure that was drawn on the wall at the height of the left chest, where should be the heart. If that figure had been a real vampire, Sagaru Yamazaki would have killed him.

"That was great." he smiled as he received the congratulations from Tetsunosuke Sasaki, his partner at the time. "I could not handle the weapon or the stake."  
   
"It's hard to do it, Sasaki-san." he said. I suppose that with time we will improve.

"I hope so, I would like to go hunting on a full moon night."

The night of full moon for the hunters was like the dream party for anyone. The lycanthropes appeared, the vampires went out of control, the witches did rituals, and they killed them all, since they would be breaking the treaty. The function of the hunter was to maintain the correct and natural order, in addition to punishing those who failed to comply with the agreement in the treaty of coexistence. It was the same function they exercised as policemen, because they enforced the law and caught those who did not comply. On both sides, supernatural or not, they were the authority.

Knowing the treaty as drinking water for Yamazaki, and in general for any hunter, was of the utmost importance. Witches should not practice black magic-and therefore, perform rituals with human sacrifices-vampires should not kill humans and wolves, as in the full moon is the only time they become dangerous to all species, have a duty of chaining itself during its metamorphosis. On that basis, peace has been maintained between the species. However, there are always rebels who dare to challenge the rules and then the hunters do what they do best: they hunt.

And hunting is carried out according to the species. The fire kills the witch, the stake in the vampire's heart-although there were other forms, but the most conventional was that-and the silver bullet in the same place to the wolf. But, it was difficult, especially to kill the last two. The degree of difficulty in killing a vampire is measured in time; the more years the vampire had, the harder it was to kill. And for the wolf it depended on if this was Alpha, Beta or Omega, being the first one practically impossible to assassinate. Yamazaki only had knowledge of a person who had been able to kill an Alpha, and that person was now the Deputy Commander of the police, Toushiro Hijikata.

That same man entered seconds later to that training camp. With the face of few friends and cigarette in hand, he ordered everyone present to go to the meeting room, since they were about to start one. Not five minutes passed when that aforementioned place fell into complete silence, while everyone present was waiting for whatever the Commander, Isao Kondo, had to say.

"I am sure everyone is aware of the rumors that have spread throughout Edo concerning the problem of murderous animals in the forest." he started. "However, it is more than clear to us that that way of killing is not characteristic of any common animal."

"The victim of last night, like all previous ones, was completely destroyed, to the point of being almost unrecognizable," Hijikata continued. "We know that this way of killing the victim is only one species."

"Wolves." Okita deduced quickly. While it was true that in that way was a person victim of a wolf attack, they were not on a full moon, and the lycanthropes have never had control over their metamorphosis as far as they knew. The hypothesis of the Captain of the First Division was totally crazy for Yamazaki, and also for the rest of those present.

"But we're not on a full moon." Kamotarou Itou intervened, saying what everyone thought. "It can not be the wolves."

"Yes, it certainly is." Kondo said. "But we have not found another explanation and the novilunian clan says they have nothing to do, like the crecents and the dwindling."

"As far as we know, none of them has control over their metamorphosis," said Itou.

"And the half moon herd?" said Sougo, drawing everyone's attention to him. "What? They can not discard them."

"The half-moon herd is just a myth, Sougo." Hijikata said. "they existed, yes, but they went extinct 100 years ago."

"But it would be the perfect explanation of what is happening if the myth is real."

Okita was right, Yamazaki believed. If it were that real myth, then everything would make sense. It would be the last piece that would fit perfectly with everything that was happening. The puzzle would be complete. But, rationally, it could not be true. That myth had been scattered to hide the real reason for the extinction of the half moon herd. According to the myth, 100 years ago a witch had reversed the curse: they were granted immortality, making them always wolves, and on full moon night they would become their human form. But the real reason for its extinction was the killing of all the wolves by the Alpha.

"We have to keep investigating." the word Kondo resumed. "We must ensure every inch of the forest and ensure that there are no more victims, citizens are scared and it is our duty as policemen to guarantee their safety and protection." all present nodded. "Yamazaki, investigate the three Clans, we can not rule them out."

"Yes!"

"Well, gentlemen, this meeting is terminated." the Commander exclaimed. "Those who are not on the list can go to their homes to guard the forest tonight." all the men stood up, approaching the list. "Toushi, do you have plans for tonight?"

"Kondo-san, with all due respect, I'm not going to go into that bar again just because you want to go see that demon woman."

"But if Otae-san is an angel!"

"Sleep, maybe." Hijikata exhaled the last of her cigarette left. "Kondo-san, really, do not harass her so much."

"It's not harassment, I'm taking care of it." the man said seriously. "They recently inherited a house in the mountains, surrounded by the forest, and I do not want anything to happen to her or her brother."

"Is that ugly house now theirs?" The dark haired man was surprised. He thought that the guest house would be demolished someday, but since it had been built centuries ago, it had become the heritage of the city.

"It's the pigsty where you live, Hijikata-san." said Sougo and his poisonous comments. "In fact, that house is in better condition than our barracks."

"And how do you know?"

"Because I already went."

"You were in the house of my beloved Otae-san and you did not invite me ?! Why, Sougo ?!"

"Because I was exercising the duty of caring for the princess." he answered, removing the mucus that fell on his jacket, product of the disconsolate weeping of the Comandante who was crying while holding him. "I should go exercise now, so if you'll excuse me, Kondo-san."

"But his name is on the list, Captain Okita." Yamazaki told him instantly.  
Sougo blinked constantly for a few seconds and then looked at the Vice Commander.

"Hijikata-san."

"What?"

"Why is my name on the list?"

"Why are you part of us, maybe?" a kick given with strength in his abdomen made him fall and writhe in pain on the floor. "You bastard brat!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Hijikata-san, I think I have myoclonus." he said, without really feeling sorry for what he did. "Yamazaki."

The man stood straight on the spot at the mention of his name "Yes!"

"Are you on the list?"

"Do not."

"Cover me with the princess." and the chestnut tree went for its weapons.

"Toshi, come." Kondo lifted the other man from the floor. "A few good drinks at the bar where Otae-san works will take your pain away."

Yamazaki stood there, standing without moving a muscle, repeating over and over again Okita's words in his head. He had never had to be anyone's bodyguard, much less someone as important as Soyo Tokugawa. That duty had always been entrusted to Sougo, since the girl had argued that if she was going to have a bodyguard, please do not be too old. Then from the Shinsengumi was entrusted to Sougo and from the Mimawarigumi-a police force just like them-was entrusted to Nobume Imai, taking turns taking care of the girl for days.

Well, he was just taking care of her for one night. He would do well and if that not were the case, he could always ask for help from other members-although he doubted he had to. According to Okita, the girl was easy to carry. He went then to the Tokugawa mansion self-convincing all the way that he would do well, that he did not have to worry.

The brunette came out of the main door, and Yamazaki deduced that she was going to a party that night. He did not like the idea and was almost tempted to defect, but reconsidered it when he knew that if he did he could die-not so literal, but if he could lose his job and then, how did he eat? The girl looked at him, showing obvious curiosity in her brown iris.

"And Okita-san?" She asked.

"He's busy tonight, so I'll be his replacement." he said politely.

"Oh." She smiled at him. "Good, then let's go."

The plan was simple. She had told him that they would go to a party, they would stay for a while and then they would return to the mansion at midnight because that was their curfew, like Cinderella. With what the officer did not count was with Soyo taking off the white and pretty dress he was wearing, in the back seats of the car.

"What are you doing?" He asked nervously.

"Ah, taking off me the facade." he did not understand, but she proceeded to explain. "To get permission, I told my brother that the party was very formal, but it's a bonfire and if I want my classmates to accept me, I had to attend yes. or if. "Under the dress you could see casual clothes. "I'm sorry to get you into this, Yamazaki-san, but I thought it was Okita-san who would come.

Did Captain Okita support the princess's antics?

"Campfire where?" Yamazaki asked, but he knew the answer and in a way he was afraid of it.

"Where the fires are made." she said. "In the woods." that was not good. "Can we go faster please? I'm late."

How did he tell him he could not go to the forest because there were animals eager to eat human flesh? and, without emphasizing that, but still it was not confirmed whether or not they were licántropos. He could not take her there, obviously. He had to do something and he had to do it now. He was not completely sure that something bad would happen to her, but the risk was there, present. And, he had to admit, if the attacker were a wolf, he was not sure he could kill him. So, he did the only thing he could do in the middle of that situation: turn off the car and pretend that it had broken down. With a little luck, Soyo would eat the story since the princesses do not know about cars or those things.

"What happened?" She asked immediately.

"It has gone out." answered the obvious. "I'll take a look at the engine." He opened the hood of the car and pretended to check something, planning his next action, Meanwhile, Soyo watched distracted the trees that formed the beginning of the path to go into the forest. She sighed, knowing that he would not get to time for the blessed bonfire. Suddenly, her gaze caught smoke rising beyond the beginning of the forest, were these his companions?, had they changed the location of the campfire?, opened the door and approached Yamazaki, who was still thinking how to proceed.

"Yamazaki-san, there" the aforementioned noted the smoke pointed by the brunette. "I think it's there, I'll go while you take care of that."

He reacted when he saw her go into the forest alone. "O-one moment, princess!" He stood in front of her when he reached her, "It's not safe."

"Why?" She cocked her head. "Wild animals? Okita-san told me that the police already had him covered and he never lies to me. "

Maybe he had told her not to worry her, but no, the police had not covered him.

And then, the next seconds went by faster than normal. Shouts were heard. Screams of people agonizing, asking for help; cries of terror. Yamazaki's heart began to beat strongly, and began to run after Soyo milliseconds after she moved to the source of the screams. What seemed like an eternal race was really few minutes and to his horror, he could not do anything for the youngest of the Tokugawa to witness the terrifying scene in front of her.

Blood, bodies, many bodies scattered all over the place, and the causal animal eating from one of them. And no, that night there was no full moon, and it was not that Yamazaki's mind was playing tricks on his. In front of him, in all his monstrous glory, was a wolf, who looked at him and the girl without blinking. He realized he was shaking, but he was a hunter, right? he had to show the reason why he carried that stigma on the back of his right hand. The thing was that he had done what he should not do: go out without a weapon.

The adrenaline spread through all the places of his body and the next thing he knew was that he was running, taking Soyo's wrist. But that did not last long, because the animal was superior in both speed and agility. So, before he reached them, he gathered all his strength and pulled Soyo into some bushes, getting trapped between the claws of the animal. He closed his eyes tightly, plus the pain that he was supposed to feel at being dismembered never came. Instead, he heard what appeared to be a gunfight and from that the wolf fell on top of him, soaking him blood.

"O-Okita-san." Soyo acknowledged in a trembling voice.

"I don't like Batman, but undoubtedly today I am the knight of the night."

For his good luck, the chestnut tree was the one who guarded that perimeter of the forest and went to enter more to him when he heard cries of girl coming from the bottom. After half an hour they were surrounded by policemen who came for the shattered bodies of the victims. Soyo had recognized them as his companions. A volunteer offered to take her home and she did not resist that.

"It was a wolf, Okita-san." Yamazaki began after they made sure that the youngest of the Tokugawa was well within what was possible. "Why? there's no full moon today."

"Well, I have two theories." said the chestnut. "The first is that for some reason now the wolves control the change." He began to walk toward the place where the wolf's body should be. If he knew anything, it was that, in order to differentiate them from the common animal, the werewolf returned to his natural state of being human once he was dead.

And there it was, the body in human form thrown away and bloodied. It was the first time that Yamazaki saw one, and that he was a hunter for quite some time.  
   
"And the second?" the black haired asked to continue.

Okita crouched down and inspected both arms of that man. He signaled Yamazaki to come and see after finishing the scrutiny. "The second is the half moon herd."

The distinctive birthmark lay on the left shoulder of the type: the half moon.


End file.
